I’ve been trying to set up Tailscale for Roon Arc. There is a problem when I sign into Tailscale in ROCK (Roon is on a NUC). When I sign into Tailscale one of my Roon endpoints is no longer detected. The “missing” endpoint is a Linn Akurate DSM which is Roon Tested. If I sign out of Tailscale and restart Roon, the endpoint reappears. This endpoint normally works perfectly with Roon. Thank-you for your help.
Describe your network setup
Virgin Hub-Orbi Mesh Router-TP Link Switch-NUC 7i7 BNH. Linn Akurate DSM is connected similarly but through a second TP Link Switch.
Hi @Martin_Short,
Thank you for reaching out to Roon Technical Support. I’m sorry to hear you’re running into trouble with Tailscale.
When you have a chance, could you try connecting the Akurate DSM to the same switch as your ROCK? This will help us rule out any network-related issues between the two devices.
Changed the wiring so Linn DSM was connected directly to Switch 1 (where the NUC is connected). That is, bypassing the second switch. The same result occurred: if Tailscale is logged in the Linn DSM is not detected, log out of Tailscale and the Linn DSM works as normal.
I have a second Linn DSM that I was able to connect directly to a different port on Switch 1. So I then have two Linn DSMs showing as audio devices. Testing this configuration produced the same result. Both DSMs show as audio devices when logged out of Tailscale, both devices are not detected when logged in to Tailscale.
For further info, a NAD AVR, a PC and Naim Muso that I also use as endpoints are not affected by whether Tailscale is logged in. They continue to work as normal.
Initially I connected Tailscale on the Roon ROCK NUC and on an IPhone 15, in order to use Roon Arc through Tailscale.
This system worked and Roon Arc operation was successful via Tailscale.
However, as noted above I lost a Roon Endpoint. I can reproduce the problem by toggling Tailscale on and off on Roon ROCK. This is without reconnecting the IPhone.
I assume you’re using SongCastDirect for streaming to the Linn endpoints?
When ROCK is using the Tailscale network interface, multicast device announcements usually can’t cross over to the dedicated VLAN that Linn uses for streaming.
We can troubleshoot the other network components that can influence multicast handling to ensure that Tailscale is the culprit here. Make sure “disable IGMP proxying” is checked off in the Orbi mesh network settings. In your other managed network hardware (managed switches, routers), make sure all multicast forwarding settings are turned on. Sometimes these settings are intertwined with IGMP snooping in the firmware - try toggling that on, too, for good measure.
Let us know if this helps. There’s not an inherent solution if we pinpoint the Wireguard connection as the issue here (Tailscale). However, if you have another computer (even a lightweight Raspberry Pi would work), you can set it up as a subnet router for Tailscale. This would require some configuration - you can find precise steps here.
In the meantime, we’ll consult with Product and QA to reproduce this issue in-house and investigate accordingly.
The Linn DSMs are fairly old devices so they use SongCast/Linn Streaming for Roon. ie in the signal path it shows “Linn Streaming” rather than “RAAT”. Also DSM shows as Roon Tested rather than Roon Ready in Roon Settings.
Initially “disable IGMP Proxying” was not ticked, so IGMP proxying was enabled. Following your communication I ticked “disable IGMP proxying” so that IGMP proxying was disabled. This did not make a difference. So when logged in to Tailscale the Linn DSM endpoint was not detected by Roon.
Thanks for getting back to us with that answer. Since disabling IGMP proxying didn’t resolve the issue, it’s likely that Tailscale is the source of the problem. As @connor mentioned, a possible workaround would be to move Tailscale to a different computer on your network and use it as a subnet router. Is that something you’d be able to try?
When ROCK is using the Tailscale network interface, SongCast device discovery announcements can’t cross between the Linn/Tailscale subnets.
The immediate workaround is to setup a Tailscale subnet router on a separate device from the ROCK. This would allow the ROCK to rely on its non-Tailscale IP address, but traffic would still be forwarded to Tailscale via the subnet router in order to reach ARC outside the home.
The long-term workaround would need to come from Roon and/or Linn. We have escalated to development to determine what paths might be available. We’ll share any information as it becomes available.
At present I am able to use Arc with Tailscale but I lose connectivity of my Linn DSM. This will at least allow me to test Arc with Tailscale to see if that is a better solution than Port Forwarding. The downside, as you know, is I have to log out of Tailscale to get the Linn DSM endpoint back.
If Arc with Tailscale is a success compared with Arc with Port Forwarding, then I will look at setting up a subnet router. Unless of course you have devised a long-term solution in the meantime.
Thanks again for your help we seem to have gone as far as we can at the moment.
Thanks for the update on your plan moving forward. We’ll be very interested to hear how Tailscale compares to port forwarding once you’ve had some time to test it out in your setup. Let us know how it goes when you get the chance.
It’s been a while since we checked in with you. This thread will automatically close soon without a response from you. Are you still having this issue?
I’ll be comparing Arc using Tailscale and Port Forwarding. If Tailscale is noticeable better then I will look into setting up a subnet router. If there is no difference then I’ll just operate Arc with Port Forwarding.
Thank you for the update.
It seems that one of your Tailscale devices might be set as an Exit Node, which could affect Roon’s ability to detect local endpoints such as your Linn Akurate DSM.
Could you please check your Tailscale settings as follows:
Open the Tailscale Admin Console in your browser: Tailscale
Sign in with your Tailscale account.
In the Machines list, locate the device running Roon ROCK (your NUC) and any other devices in your network.
Check the Exit Node column:
If your NUC or another device is listed as an Exit Node, click the three-dot menu (…) next to it.
Select Disable Exit Node.
If you’re intentionally using an Exit Node, ensure that the one in use is on the same local network as your Roon Core and endpoints.
Once done, sign out of Tailscale on your ROCK, sign back in, and restart Roon.